St. Bernard wins Best in Show at Trenton Kennel Club dog show

WEST WINDSOR — The Trenton Kennel Club held the second of two dog shows in as many days in Mercer County Park yesterday, awarding Best in Show to Cookie, a 5-year-old, 180-pound St. Bernard, club President Stephanie Brocksbank said.

“This is a real champion dog,” she said yesterday afternoon. “This dog has won many, many dog shows.”

Cookie, dubbed a grand champion because of his many awards, is owned by Ed and Linda Baker of Hopewell, Brocksbank said. Cookie recently won Best in Breed for working dogs at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York, she said.

The other finalist breeds in yesterday’s show were Pekingese, bearded collie, Lhasa apso, wire fox terrier, American foxhound and black cocker spaniel.

The wire fox terrier won Reserved Best in Show, or second place, Brocksbank said.
Yesterday’s show, the club’s 87th, was much smaller than the 86th show held the previous day, she said. On Sunday, 2,458 dogs competed, while yesterday’s event featured half that number.

“There were about 1,100 today, which I have to tell you is not a little bit, but for us it is,” Brocksbank said.

There were no obedience or rally categories and no “Meet the Breed” area for potential pet owners to socialize with different breeds, Brocksbank said.

The contestants were mostly looking to earn points to improve their national rank, she said.

“It’s really for points for people who are showing the dogs,” she said.